Arranged
by Gwendolyn Inman
Summary: Marinette and Adrien have grown into good friends during the nearly three years of high school. Their best friend's have dated for over a year and they hang out regularly. They are a perfect platonic pair. Now, with only a few months of high school left, Adrien's father may have plans that ruin their friendship forever. Multi-Chapter Ardinette fic! ABANDONED
1. The Invite

**Hey ML Fans! This is my second Miraculous Ladybug fic. This will be a multi-chapter fic, not sure how long yet. It was inspired by a comic by hashtagartislife on tumblr. Enjoy, favorite, follow and review!**

"Adrien. Your father would like me to ask you to call that girl who has won all those design competitions at your school. The one currently interning at his studio. He wants you to invite her and her parents over for dinner with the two of you this Sunday at six," Natalie told him promptly after rapping on his door and inviting herself in. He had been finishing his literature homework. He turned to look at his father's assistant in mild shock, but when he faced the door she was already gone, door swinging shut behind her.

Natalie was, of course, talking about Marinette. They were in their last year of school and she had won every single design competition since the bowler hat one the first month of high school. Adrien just couldn't understand why his father would want to have a sit down dinner with her and her parents. Gabriel Agreste hardly ever even wanted to have dinner with Adrien, let alone any of his friends.

Adrien and Marinette were close friends. They had moved past the awkward stage in their relationship where Marinette could hardly say five words to him. Not surprising considering their best friends had started dating over a year ago and they four of them had been having study sessions at the library once a week every school week since the beginning of their second year. Not to mention when they had worked on group projects and those few times in the early stages of Alya and Nino's relationship where they had been dragged along on their dates. Besides Nino, he would probably count Marinette as his best friend.

He pulled her contact up on his phone and dialed her number. After two rings she picked up.

"Adrien! How nice of you too call! What's up?" she answered, bubbly as always. He repeated what Natalie had said to him to his friend. "Your dad! Wants to have dinner with me!" Marinette nearly squealed in his ear. He held the phone away from his face until he heard her sounds of pure unadulterated excitement die down.

"Yeah, not just you though, your parents too, apparently," he repeated to her.

"Right! Yeah! Let me go ask them," he heard the pitter-patter of her feet running down stairs to the bakery where her parents were working. He heard her muffled excited chatter and some approving noises from what sounded like her dad.

"They said they would love to! Oh my gosh this is soooooooo exciting! I have to decide what I will wear! I got to go do that! See you Sunday!" She finished, clicking off the phone.

He flopped down on his bed. Marinette was so excited about this dinner, he didn't have the heart to tell her that his father would probably be a cold and compartmentalized as he always was. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it seemed unlikely, even more unlikely than he inviting one of his school friends for dinner.

* * *

"Alya! You won't believe what just happened!" She told her friend as she came through the trapdoor and into Marinette's room. Marinette had been flipping through her sketchbook looking for a design that she could sew in two days and wear to dinner with Adrien's father.

"What has gotten you so worked up? I haven't seen you this frenzied since the cocktail dress design contest last year," Alya said, walking up behind her friend. Marinette jumped up and gave Alya a super tight hug.

"Alya, you are a genius!" Mari told her. Marinette went over to her stuffed closet and started through the dozens of garments, all made by her, that had been crammed in there. Eventually she found it.

It was a knee length dark red dress. It was strapless, had a small sweetheart neckline, and a princess silhouette. The base layer was dark red satin. The entire bodice was covered in cream roses shrouded in fine maroon tulle. The roses waterfalled down the skirt, still covered in the maroon tulle, which formed a bubble effect at the hem. The bubble had a few cream rose petals sews in for effect. Marinette hugged the dress tight before remembering that she might crush the delicate appliques.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about or...?" Alya asked from where she had taken a seat on the bed. Marinette fell onto her back beside her friend, still holding the dress.

"Adrien invited me to dinner," She sighed, hearts almost visibly forming in her eyes. Alya's face broke into a grin to rival that of Cat Noir as she leaned over Marinette.

"You're for real?" she asked. Marinette's smile faltered.

"Yes and no?"

"Explain?"

"Well, he called me about an hour ago to tell me his father wanted to have me and my parents over for dinner. SO I guess it was his dad that invited me, technically." Mari explained. Alya raised an eyebrow.

"That's still super great, as Gabriel Agreste is your idol, but it's weird that he wants to have dinner with your parents and you. Does he think you and Adrien are dating?" Alya suggested. Marinette turned beet red.

"Oh my god! What if he does! That would be so awkward! I was thinking he wanted to make me his protégé or give offer me a job or something work related!" She squealed, sitting up. Alya put her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Mari, breath. Whatever the reason, it has to be good right! He wouldn't invite you over for dinner just to convey bad news, right? People like him don't have time for that." Alya reassured. Mari nodded and tried to control her breathing.

"Right."


	2. The Dinner

**Hey guys! Here is another chapter, and only one day after the first! I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep this up, but it's fun for now. Anyways, Enjoy!**

"Are you sure we look fine?" Mme Cheng asked her daughter for the fourth time. Mme Cheng was wearing a navy blue, knee length, mandarin gown with silver detailing that Marinette had made for her last birthday. While it wasn't really in Marinette's signature style, she had to pat herself on the back for fitting it so perfectly. Mr. Dupain was wearing a navy suit and a white shirt without a tie. At least he had buttoned the shirt all the way and you couldn't see the chest hair, Marinette thought to herself.

"You guys look perfect. You are clean, well dressed, and you match perfectly." Marinette assured her parents.

"Mari! Get back in here! You can't leave the house with half your hair in curlers!" Alya called from the bathroom. Marinette ran back to the bathroom in her robe and plopped back into the chair in front of her friend.

What would she do without Alya? Marinette could have never curled her hair and done her make-up without the helping hands of her best friend. If she had even attempted to use hot curlers she probably would have burned her hand off.

"I know I don't say it enough, but you are the best friend a girl could have. Thank you for being mine." Mari said sincerely. A snort escaped Alya.

"You're just kissing my ass because you want me to make you look this good every day." Alya shrugged. When her hair was done, Marinette pulled the dress over her head and Alya zipped her in. When she stepped into the living room her parents inhaled.

"Do I look that bad?" Marinette said with a frown. Her mother shook her head.

"You look beautiful sweetheart." Her dad told her. Marinette beamed.

"You guys should get going. I'll clean up the bathroom and head out. And Mari," Alya said as her friend begun down the stairs, "good luck."

* * *

Adrien insisted he get the door. Natalie protested that it was her job to greet the guests. Adrien countered that a gentleman always got the door for female callers. After a glace that seemed to speak volumes between Mr. Agreste and Natalie, his father told him to go greet the guests.

The guests weren't actually there yet. He had asked his father about getting the door when he had received Marinette's "On My Way" text. She didn't live that far away, so he wanted to be waiting when she arrived.

When the family of three was about three meters from the door he swung it open.

Marinette was a vision. While his love belonged to Ladybug, his heart began to betray him when he saw his friend. She was wearing a red dress that made her skin glow and her cerulean eyes look ever brighter than they already were. Her hair had been freed from the confines of pigtail and was framing her heart shaped face with gorgeous curls and her lips were painted a deep, kissable, red.

When she reached the door he took her hands and they gave each other a quick kiss on each cheek in greeting. Then he kissed the hand of her mother and shook the hand of her father.

"Lovely to see you again Adrien. You look even sharper than the last time we saw you." Mme Cheng gushed. A light blush colored Adrien's cheeks.

"Ah! Marinette! How lovely to see you again!" came a familiar voice from behind Adrien. He turned to see his father, with an uncharacteristic smile on his face, walking towards the guests. "You must be Sabine and Tom! Pleasure to meet you!" Gabriel Agreste kissed their cheeks before gesturing for them to move towards the dining room. "We will be having a traditional five course meal tonight, and I have a special surprise for dessert!"

* * *

Gabriel made pleasant small talk with the Dupain-Cheng's for the entirety of the meal. He had on the same elegant and friendly persona he adopted when talking to guests at fashion shows and parties. Adrien knew his father had some sort of end game for this meal, and it was only a matter of time before he revealed it, but for now Adrien would just have to wait.

They talked about how hard it was running a business and how a bakery and a fashion empire weren't that different, when you got down to the core of it. They talked about Adrien's ever growing success as a model. They talked about the fashion competitions Marinette had won and Marinette modeled the dress she was wearing for them. They talked about politics and when it seemed like they had exhausted every conversation topic the five of them could have opinions on, the salad plates were removed from the table. Mr. Agreste dabbed his mouth with his napkin before standing.

"Sabine, Tom, will you join me and my assistant in the study for the cheese course. Adrien, show Marinette the house while we talk." Gabriel said, walking over to wear Natalie stood by the door. Marinette's parents stood and followed him out of the dining room, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone.

"What do you think that is about?" Marinette asked her friend as he stood up. He shrugged and begun over to her seat.

"He doesn't really tell me anything. Come on," he replied, offering his hand to help her up, even though he knew he didn't have to keep acting so formal. She took it with a nervous smile across her face. When she was standing she shifted her hand to his elbow.

They walked around the mansion relatively quietly. Adrien pointed out doors to rooms as they passed them and Marinette smiled and asked polite questions, but something was off about their walk. There was nervousness in the air that neither of them could place. Eventually they reached the back garden.

They were turning to look at each other when their phones beeped simultaneously. They had gotten an alert of an akuma attack at the Mayor's hotel. A woman was causing trees to grow straight through the building.

"Um can you point me towards the nearest bathroom?" Marinette asked her friend.

"Yeah yeah. Go back in and take a right down the hall, it will be the second door on the left." He told her, looking at his phone. He shot a text to the second phone he kept in his room to alert Plagg, and when he looked up Marinette was gone.

 **Tell me your opinions in a review. Also mention in a review if you would like me to continue posting chapters as I write them or if you would rather have them on a more regular schedule.**


	3. The Arrangement

**This is it guys! The first two chapters were the introduction, now we are getting into the real meat of the story!**

 **EDIT I have fixed grammatical stuff throughout the first three chapters!**

 **Enjoy!**

"Let's make this quick kitty cat. I was in the middle of a very important evening." Ladybug called to her partner, who was busy dodging vines that were snapping at his ankles.

"Agreed. How do you propose we do that my lady? Also, I like you with your hair down. It suits you." He called back. He vaulted off a recently sprouted six story oak tree and landed effortlessly next to his partner. Ladybug rolled her eyes at him while she analyzed her opponent, Tournesol, while she was distracted by a crowd of green party protesters who were dedicated to standing in front of the hotel regardless of the chaos. She noticed the woman had a floral button; the exact same button as the protestors, except hers was pitch black.

"Chat! The akuma is in her button." She told him. He nodded. She called for her lucky charm, receiving a long-handled shovel. She looked around and saw red spots appear on the tree-throne Tournesol sat upon, and in a crack between two tree trunks. "I need you to destroy the throne she is sitting on." He nodded again.

"Of course my lady!" He called as he leaped away. Ladybug threw the shovel into the crack in the trees and it stuck, she then took a jump, landing on the handle of the shovel and using it as a springboard. She flew towards the now falling Tournesol, catching her midair and landing flawlessly on a bed of sunflowers. She then took the woman's pin and crushed it, catching the black butterfly and purifying it.

Chat brought her the shovel, and she threw it up in the air, returning the hotel to its normal state. She fist bumped her partner before turning to him.

"While I would love to stay and chat, I slipped away from dinner before dessert and I have to be getting back," Chat Noir said. She raised an eyebrow.

"I am in a very similar situation. See you tomorrow for regular patrol?" She asked, but he was already bounding away. She shrugged and started back towards the Agreste mansion, only to realize that Chat was heading the exact same direction. Weird.

Realizing how little time she had left on her transformation, she picked up the pace. She had lost her partner to the shadows after a few blocks, which was good, because she didn't want him seeing her diving through the window of one of the nicest houses in Paris. She transformed back as she rolled onto the floor of the bathroom and rolled right into the door. She sat their catching her breath for a minute.

"Marinette? Are you still in there? Or did you ditch me to hunt for my father's secret home studio?" Adrien called from the other side of the door. Crap, if she saw the detransformation sparkles she might be made. But, that was unlikely. She stood up and dusted herself off.

"What oh yeah! I was just powdering my nose," she checked herself for bruises, "and uh refreshing my lipstick," she fixed her now tangled hair, "and fluffing my skirt," she took a deep breath and opened the door with a smile, pretending that everything was perfect.

* * *

Marinette was Ladybug. How had he not noticed before? They had the same color hair and were the same height. They even had the same perfect blue eyes. He knew she had always kept part of herself from him, but until he saw the detransformation sparkles under the bathroom door, he had no idea that her personal secret would be a secret identity. What should he say? Should he confront her about it? Should he tell her he's Chat Noir? Should he-

No. She had wanted to keep it a secret. She didn't want to know his secret identity, and she never had. If she had wanted him to know, she would have told him. So the best thing to do is respect her privacy and her wishes and just pretend he didn't see anything. After he knocked she made up some excuse for being in the bathroom for almost an hour before opening the door.

She was just as breathtaking as she had looked when she left him standing in the garden. Her hair was still perfect, her skin unblemished, and her eyes sparkling. Looking at her now, there was no doubt in his mind that she was his lady, the one who had stolen his heart. He offered his arm and she took it.

There was no more unease between them as they made their way back to the dining room. Adrien talked about how beautiful the Parisian nights were and Marinette joyously agreed.

"Even though you can't see the stars, the city lights keep the city feeling magical. The streetlights are like stars on the streets when viewed for high above." She said almost wistfully, as if she hadn't been flying through those streets just moments before.

"We should go sometime. See the city from the tower." He suggested to her. Her mouth parted slightly, as if she wanted to have a witty retort on hand, but didn't. She blushed. Suddenly the atmosphere around them was more like that of when they first met than how they were around each other now.

"That would be- It sounds- Adrien, I- Yes. We should." she said, pressing her lips shut. He grinned in a way that was much more Chat Noir than Adrien Agreste.

"It's a date then." He said as they entered the dining room, where Natalie was waiting. Gabriel's assistant didn't fail to notice that Marinette's face was bright red and plastered with a dopey smile.

"Once you pull yourself together, Mr. Agreste would like you to join him and the other guests in the study for desert." She said. Marinette took a few deep breaths and nodded. Natalie opened the door and Adrien and Marinette walked into the study, still arm-in-arm.

"Adrien, Marinette, have a seat," Gabriel said, gesturing towards the empty couch. His polite smile from dinner had slightly grown since dinner, which made Adrien uncomfortable. Adrien knew that his father only smiled like that when he had gotten exactly what he wanted. Gabriel looked directly at Marinette and opened his mouth again to speak, "I have a proposal for you my dear; however your mother thinks you may like it better if you hear it from her lips. Sabine?" He said, looking at Marinette's mother, who was beaming.

"Sweetie, Gabriel is wants to make you his protégé! It's exactly what you've always wanted, your dream job," her mother told her. Marinette's eyes winded to the size of saucers. She looked at her dad, whose smile was more contained and he nodded. Marinette looked back over to Mr. Agreste.

"It's true. I want to teach you to be the successor to my company. You would be the heir to one of the world's greatest fashion empires." he explained. Something about his wording seemed off to her though. She knew Adrien had sensed it too, as he tensed up beside her. Gabriel continued "Of course, there is a slight caveat. I would like to keep the company in the family, so you would have to join the Agreste family. You would have to marry Adrien."

 **OOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo EXCITING! Leave your questions comments and/or ideas in a review!**


	4. The Next Morning

**THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS ON THE LAST CHAPTER! Without the constant support of you guys, these chapters would not be written as ridiculously fast as they are. It also helps that I love this story and Miraculous Ladybug. Anyways, this chapter is a little short, but last chapter was long, so I'm calling it even. ENJOY!**

Adrien was angry. His hands were balled into fists and every muscle in his body was taught. He didn't have any issues with marrying his lady and dear friend, but he would like to have done it on his own time table.

"It wouldn't be until after you two graduate of course, you still have to focus on your studies, but when summer break begins, I would be delighted if you would move in with us." Gabriel continued.

Marinette barely heard him. She was lost in thought over this newfound opportunity. On one hand, she would have everything she ever wanted: a job as a designer, Gabriel Agreste's approval, Adrien, but it was all wrong. She could tell by the way he was bristling beside her that this was not what he had wanted.

"Don't worry. There is no need for you to decide right now. Why don't you head home and think about it for a day or two." Gabriel finished.

The Dupain-Cheng's got up and were escorted out by their hosts. Before she reached the car, Marinette and Adrien parted with a small hug and a whispered "I'm sorry." Marinette and her parents got into the limo Gabriel had available to take them home. As they drove away, Marinette looked back and saw Adrien standing face to face with his father and yelling.

* * *

"How could you do that? Ask a girl to marry me without my consent! It's not your place!" Adrien yelled. His father's hand twitched and he flinched. His father never hit him before, but Adrien had never stood up to him before either.

"Not my place? I am your father. It is always my place to act in your best interest. If you would like to continue this conversation, we can do it inside, instead of creating a scene on the street," Gabriel told his son, once again the picture of cold sterility Adrien expected from him. He turned and went back inside.

* * *

The next morning Marinette woke up with sore eyes, a heavy heart, and a clouded mind. She showered, got dressed, and pulled her hair into pigtails. Looking in the mirror, she could barely even see the beautiful girl she had been last night. She sighed, grabbed her school bag, and left for what might be one of the most awkward and painful school days of her life.

When she met Alya outside of the bakery for the walk to school, she was bombarded by questions.

"Was Adrien dreamy? Did he tell you how beautiful you looked? Was dinner fancy? Did Adrien's dad complement your dress? Did he drop a huge bomb on you?" Alya asked in rapid succession. Marinette sighed.

"Yes, no, yes, yes, and I don't want to talk about it," Marinette replied. Alya frowned, but said nothing, wanting to respect her friend's privacy.

When they approached the school Nino peeled himself from the wall where he had been lounging with Adrien. Marinette noticed that Adrien didn't come with his friend to greet her and Alya like he normally did. Nino gave Alya a quick kiss before looking back to his friend. He gestured for Adrien to join them, and Marinette saw him sigh before starting over to where the three were standing. When he got over to them, he stared at Marinette with a look of apology. When the first warning bell rang they headed towards class, but Adrien put his hand on Marinette's shoulder to hold her back.

"Marinette. I wanted to talk to you about last night," he started once Alya and Nino were gone, "If I had known that was why my father wanted to have dinner with you and your parents, I never would have ask you to come, you have to know that. However I am not adverse to his proposition. That is, I do like you Mari, but I was upset at him for asking you to marry me without my consent. What I'm trying to say is, it's not you, it's him," Adrien told her. He seemed more nervous than Marinette had ever seen him. She nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Is that all? We should really get to class," She said, looking towards their physics class.

"No! Right! About what I said before we went into the study, about seeing Paris from the Eiffel Tower, I meant that," he finished. She blinked.

"What?"

"Last night we talked about the beauty of Paris at night and-" Adrien begun to answer.

"No, not that. You really want to go on a date with me?" she questioned. His eyebrows scrunched together as if her question was the most perplexing thing he had ever heard.

"Of course. I like you, and if you accept my father's offer, it would be ideal if we actually liked being in a romantic relationship with each other." Adrien answered. Marinette smiled in a way that made it look like she was holding back a much larger smile, which she was.

"Ok well then I would love to go see the city with you."

 **Thanks for reading, see you all next chapter! Post your theories, questions, or thoughts in a review! I read every single one!**


	5. The Show

**Hey Guys! I just want to say that all your reviews are so sweet! Like I love them so much I show them to my school friends and brag about them to my sisters and tell my parents about them. Every single one of you readers is precious and close to my heart, but I would like to give a shout out to the readers from Slovenia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Brunei, because before you read this I had never even heard of those places before, and now I know about your lovely countries.**

 **Sorry for the super long Author's Note. Enjoy this chapter!**

 _One week before graduation_

For two months she had been dating Adrien, and it was exactly as she had imagined it. He was always a perfect gentleman, opening doors for her, helping her out of cars, even laying his jacket over puddles so she could cross them.

He had the same subtle humor that he had had when they were friends, but not it was more pronounced and flirtatious. After the third date Marinette could finally take his compliments without turning beat red. After five dates she could return his flirtations with equally witty prose. They had become the perfect partners.

Things with her other persona had also been going well. Things with Ladybug and Chat Noir had never been more copacetic. When she had told him she had a serious boyfriend outside the mask, and would rather not be hit on by her partner in anti-crime anymore, he took it surprisingly well. He said he would respect his lady's wishes, but would like her to tell this boyfriend of hers that he was the luckiest man in the world.

However, in the last few weeks, Ladybug had been spending more time with her partner than Marinette had been spending with hers. The akuma attacks had been coming more and more frequently. However, it was just last night that Chat had told her of a theory he had for finding Hawkmoth and ending all of this.

"We can follow the white butterflies back to his lair. Even though they are cleansed, they are still his magical butterflies," He had said in the few minutes they had before their transformations wore off. She had simply nodded and said that they could do that after the next attack.

Now Marinette sat in the library, studying fervently for her _baccalaureate_ exams. Her unofficial boyfriend sat beside her, one hand turning the pages in his economics textbook, the other hand using its thumb to rub circles into her palm. Nino and Alya were studying as well, however there's consisted of much more whispers and giggles.

Also in the library were Chloe and Sabrina, who were also supposed to be studying. However, Marinette suspected that instead of reading her textbook, Chloe was using her eyes to burn holes in the back of her head. After nearly two months you would think she would have gotten over Marinette and Adrien, but no such luck.

* * *

When the final bell of the day rang, Marinette and Adrien walked out of the building and towards where his limo was waiting.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home? Gorilla doesn't mind, in fact he actually loves it because I always buy a box of macarons from your mom on my way out," Adrien told her as he lounged against the side of the limo. Marinette smiled and shook her head.

"As much as I like Gorilla and think he deserves all the macarons in the world, I have missed walking home. I'll see you tomorrow for my mini fashion show right?" She replied. He leaned in and kissed her quickly right beside her mouth.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," and with that he got in the limo and begun to roll away. Marinette smiled just thinking about the little goodbye kiss he had just given her. It's not like they hadn't kissed before, but he had a thing about obvious public displays of affection and it had taken two months, but he was finally starting to give that up.

Marinette started on her way home when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, Chloe. She sighed and turned to the nosey girl who, for some reason, appeared to be obsessed with her.

"What was that? Did he just kiss you?" The blonde yelled. Marinette heaved another sigh.

"Yes, because we are kind of dating and he can do that sort of thing. You would know that if you had ever dated anyone in your pitifully unaccomplished life," Marinette said apathetically. It wasn't until she saw the look of shock and possibly hurt on Chloe's face that she had realized what she had said. "Oh my gosh Chloe, I didn't mean for that to come out that way." Chloe's eyes were almost starting to shine with unshed tears, but the girl was fighting it

"My father will hear about this," Chloe retorted, her voice cracking on the word 'father'. She turned away before Marinette could see her cry.

* * *

"Hello mentors, parents, and esteemed guests to this year's intern fashion show. As many of you probably already know, each young designer has created their own mini collection of ten completely styled looks over the course of the last year. Now is the time when they share their talent with you, their mentors, parents, and friends. Let's get on with the show," Gabriel Agreste announced from where he stood on the catwalk. The audience politely applauded as the president of the company went back stage.

Marinette was freaking out. She knew that her collection was flawless, every piece important in the narrative and she wasn't even going first, but she was nervous nonetheless. Maybe it was that it was her first collection or the fact that her boyfriend would be sitting out there watching it or that her future father in law was the one evaluating her work.

She tried to calm down while the first intern, a university student named Carter presented his collection inspired by naval uniforms throughout history. She was almost breathing normally by the time the second collection, which belonged to a girl named Sophia and was inspired by twentieth century predictions of future fashion, was walking back into the backstage area. Marinette took one more deep breath before walking out to the runway to present her collection.

"Thank you all for being here today. I'm Marinette and my collection is inspired by ancient Egypt. I would like to dedicate this collection to my dad, who always encouraged me to practice my art and told me to never give up on my dreams, thank you." she said quickly before walking back to back stage.

Her chosen soundtrack played and her models began walking the runway. When her last model came back in, Marinette grabbed her hand like she had been instructed and walked out behind a line of her looks. She heard the applause from around her. They had loved it. And there was Adrien, sitting in the front row, smiling like she was the sun and he was about to go blind.

 **I wish this chapter was more eventful, but it was basically just to explain the time jump and set up the Chloe drama. Anyways, don't forget to review!**

 **xoxoxoxoxoxo,**

 **Gwen**


	6. The Tower

**Sorry for the wait guys, I was just swamped with school this week. I think this chapter was worth the wait, so ENJOY!**

"You were fantastic sweetie! You're collection was the best one out there!" Sabine Cheng said while hugging her daughter. Marinette, who was in a hug-sandwich between her parents, couldn't breath. When she was released from their gasps, Adrien was standing by to engulf her in his arms.

"Well done, Miss Marinette," Gabriel, who had just walked up, told her, giving her a small pat on the shoulder at the same time. Marinette blushed.

"Thank you, Mr. Agreste," She replied shyly. She knew he liked her, but she was still intimidated by his presence.

"Please my dear, call me Gabriel. Your collection was gorgeous. It gives me complete confidence in your ability to eventually be the heir to this company. That is, if you are still considering my offer?" he said. She nodded.

"Strongly considering it, Mr. A- Gabriel," she responded. He flashed a small smile and looked over at his son.

"Go talk with Adrien. He has something he would like to tell you," Gabriel finished. Marinette looked over at Adrien but when she looked back at his father, he had already moved on to talk to one of the other interns. She shrugged and went over to Adrien, who was talking to her parents. Her parents laughed at something he had said as she walked into earshot.

"Hello again. I was just telling your parents about the time Ladybug saved me from that mime guy, back in our first year," He said, snaking his arm around her waist.

"Huh, I can barely even remember that," she lied, "Your dad said you wanted to ask me something," she finished. He nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! I can't believe I almost forgot. I want to take you out to dinner to celebrate the completion of your internship. That is, if you don't already have plans?" He asked, slightly nervous that she would say no. It had been two months and they had been on seven or eight dates already, but he still got nervous every time he asked her out. Marinette looked at her parents and they nodded.

"Sure, I'd love to. What should I wear?" She asked him. He scrunched his eyebrows together, deep in thought over what she might wear. He smirked before answering.

"Something nice. I'll pick you up at 17;30. I have to go make arrangements for tonight then," he finished. He gave her a peck on the cheek before heading towards the exit. Marinette watched him until the door closed behind her before she starting talking to one of the many fashion industry professionals that wanted to speak with her.

* * *

She had curled her hair pulled it into a high ponytail. She had swiped on mascara and dabbed on lipgloss. She had her mom help her into her little black sequined dress and red leather jacket.

Marinette sat on the stairs leading down to the bakery, just out of sight of any customers that may come in, but with perfect view of the street. When Adrien's limo pulled up she stood, flattened her skirt, and walked into the bakery, where her mom was waiting to see her off. Her mother kissed her cheek before she opened the door for her and she stepped out into the warm June air.

Her prince was standing besides her carriage in a black suit, black shirt and red tie. They matched. He smiled at her, thinking the exact same thing as her.

"My lady," he said, kissing her hand as he helped her into the limo. She snorted. He knew he had sounded just like Chat Noir and was so glad she had laughed instead of making some sort of sound of disgust. He didn't know if his fragile male ego could take the pain of being rejected by is lady. He got into the car beside her and took a blindfold out of his pocket.

"What's that for?" she questioned. He smiled.

"For you. Where we're going has to stay a surprise,"

* * *

"Ok, you can open your eyes," Adrien said to Marinette. Her hand broke off it's spot on his arm as she rushed to the railing. The lights of Paris were reflected in her wide eyes as she took in the view of her city.

"This is amazing!" She breathed. Sure she had been up here before, but that was as Ladybug, with Chat Noir, not as Marinette, with Adrien. He placed his hand on the small of her back as he walked up and stood behind her.

"I'm glad you like it, I did have my father make some calls and clear off the top floor for us," he said, almost with a hint of agitation in his voice. It wasn't for her, it was for his father, for whom he hated asking for favors.

"You did what?!" She exclaimed, turning to him. He smiled.

"I made this level of the tower our private place for tonight," He replied. He had moved his hand up to the back of her neck and was tracing small circles with his thumb on her neck. He felt her shiver under his touch.

"You shouldn't have," she whispered, leaning towards him. They were growing closer with every passing instant.

"You, my lady, are worth it," he told her. Her eyes were only half open as she lifted herself on her toes, aching for her lips to meet hers. He leaned his face to hers and...

The elevator dinged. The teens jumped at the sound and sprung apart, looking towards the elevator. The doors had opened onto a dining cart with two, covered silver platters on it. Adrien walked over and rolled the cart out just before the door closed. That's when Marinette noticed the table and candles that had been set up before their arrival.

They sat down across from each other. Adrien unveiled two beautiful steak dinners from under the silver covers. They ate a comfortable silence, each of them making witty comments and casual banter intermittently.

When they were finished Adrien shoot off a text for desert to be sent up and removed their plates from the table. They went to stand by railing again while they waited for their next course. Marinette absolutely loved the way they settled into such a comfortable silence, just his arm around her waist and the sounds of Paris living below them.

She could almost hear him smile with every breath. His smell was eerily familiar. It all reminded her of how Chat would hold her so that they could look out over the city from the top of the tower.

She shook her head slightly, not enough that Adrien would notice, but still. Adrien was nothing like Chat Noir. Chat was flirtatious where Adrien was polite. Adrien was subtly humorous while Chat was overly punny. She cared for them both, but Chat was her friend and Adrien was something more.

When the elevator dinged Adrien pulled away from Marinette to get the cart. Marinette went back to the table and waited for him to bring whatever decedent thing he had picked for desert. He walked over and sat another silver covered tray in front of her.

"I need you to close your eyes again," he told her. His voice had a tinge of nervousness that had either not been there before or that Marinette just now noticed. Still, she did what he asked and waited patiently. She heard the cover be lifted off the tray and a rumpling of fabric next to her. "Ok. Open."

In front of her was a delicious looking slice of chocolate cake with something sparkling on top. When she looked closer it, she saw that it was a ring crafted out of sugar. She looked over to Adrien to see him down on one knee, a black box open in his hand, a ring identical to the one on her cake sticking out.

"La-Marinette, will you marry me?"

 **OOOOOOOOO! Exciting isn't it?** **I promise to have another chapter up in less than a week this time!** **Leave your thoughts in a review!**


	7. The Reveal

**I took the day off from school to catch up on housework and schoolwork, so this chapter is earlier than expected! Enjoy!**

She hadn't been expecting this. Honestly, she probably should have. It was only a week from her deadline, and he had got them exclusive access to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. It really screamed proposal. As she thought about this, the seconds ticked by and Adrien waited for an answer.

He was looking up at the girl who had unknowingly been his best friend for years with hopeful eyes. She was just blinking at him in shock. She opened her mouth as if to say something, only to close it again. She scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Yes?" she started. When she noticed the question in her voice she revised her statement, "I mean yes of course I will." She said with a smile. She outstretched her left hand and he breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped the ridiculously large diamond ring onto her ring finger.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure you were going to say yes," he admitted, standing up and dusting himself off. He took his seat across from her and uncovered his own desert, which was exactly like his fiancée's, only without the sugar ring on top. She laughed, attempting to keep her first bite of cake in her mouth.

"Seriously. I've had a crush on you ever since I met you," she told him. She smacked her hand over her mouth and blushed.

"Really? I didn't notice," he replied, trying not to laugh himself. She smacked his arm, luckily with the hand that didn't have the ring on it.

"If you knew, why did it take you two years to do anything?!" She exclaimed. He shrugged.

"It wasn't until a few months ago that I knew I felt the same way. Honestly I had been pining for someone else up until the night my dad asked you to marry me," he replied, sheepishly looking down at his cake. He knew it was now or never to tell her.

"And who was this mystery woman, might I ask?" She asked. He grinned.

"Actually, it was Ladybug, but then I realized that she was actually super lame," He said. She could see a glint in his eye and it hit her. He knew. Her mouth dropped open.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?" she said, exasperated that he would keep his knowledge a secret. He showed her his right hand, which had an eerily familiar ring on it.

"Because, my lady, we promised to keep our identities a secret," He said. Now it was time for her to smack herself.

How had she not seen it. Alya had seen it and she had refused to even consider Adrien could be her partner. However it did make lots of sense. Whenever there was an attack at the school Adrien would disappear and Chat Noir would show up. They both had silky blonde hair and were in fantastic shape. The resemblance was uncanny.

"You. Are. The. Worst," She said, finishing her cake. She got up, dropped her napkin on the table and started towards the elevator. However, his catlike reflexes were faster than her.

"Come on princess, don't be like that," Adrien said as he leaned in front of the elevator door, still grinning. He was obviously finding this absolutely hysterical. Well two could play at this game. Marinette looked to the small pocket in her jacket where her kwami was still hiding.

"Tikki, spots on," She said. She turned away from her fiancé and walked towards the railing, transforming mid-stride. She jumped up on the railing and flung her yo-yo to the nearest building. Before she jumped she looked back at Adrien and winked, "we will have to talk about venues for the wedding later honey."

* * *

She landed in the park near her house. She released her transformation and walked over to her house, taking the side door and bypassing the bakery. She opened the door to her living room where her parents and best friend were chatting.

"Oh honey! How was your date?" Sabine asked her daughter. Marinette gave her mom a forced smile before grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her up the stairs to her room.

"It was great I'll tell you about it tomorrow," she called before shutting the trapdoor. She leaned against the wall and sighed. Alya was staring at her hand.

"Oh my god. He proposed!?" She screamed. Marinette nodded. Alya dived on her and gave her the tightest hug humanly possible. When she broke away, Alya started opening something on her phone. "Well, you aren't the only newly engaged woman in Paris. Look what shot I caught while I was on my way over here!" She said.

What Marinette saw staring back at her was a photograph of Ladybug holding the rope of her yo-yo, a diamond ring reflecting the lights of Paris on her left ring finger. Why wasn't the ring hidden when she transformed. If Alya made the connection and found out Marinette had been keeping her secret identity from her for years, she would never be forgiven.

"Actually. The ring looks really similar to yours," Shit, Alya knew, "both of your men have impeccable taste" psych, bullet dodged. "Speaking of taste, did you guys talk about any wedding details? Are you going to design your own dress? What colors are you thinking?" Alya asked, pulling her friend to sit with her on the bed.

"No, probably, and I have no idea yet, but since you are so excited for the wedding, would you like to be my maid of honor?" Marinette asked her friend. She didn't think she had ever seen her friend so excited.

"Of course I will!"

 **I'm not a fan of this chapter as it seems very fillery, but oh well. Maybe next chapter will be better? Who knows! Tell me what you think in a review!**


	8. The Venue

_January, six months after the proposal_

"Can't we just elope already?" Adrien said, dropping his forehead onto Marinette's shoulder.

They were in Pavillon d'Armenonville, one of the best summer wedding venues in the city, taking a tour. They weren't alone of course. Louis, the wedding planner Adrien's father had hired, went with them every time they evaluated the viability of a wedding location. Marinette nodded and Adrien quietly groaned as their guide explained how many people could fit in each room and what type of chairs they had available and if they would rather have multiple tables or one long table.

Marinette didn't really care. She knew Louis knew every venue in Paris like the back of his hand, if not better, and she would eventually just ask him to pick which ever could most comfortably fit the nearly 300 guests Gabriel Agreste was planning on inviting to the wedding.

Marinette turned her head and kissed her fiance on the forehead.

"You know kitty cat, if you aren't on your best behavior then you won't get the present I have waiting for you back at home," She whispered, continuing to nod at the tour guides nonsensical words. His ears perked up.

"A present? My lady, the only present I need is you!" He replied.

"Who said the present wasn't me?" she retorted with a wink. She skipped ahead to catch up with Louis and the tour guide.

They had been living together for the last five months, ever since just before Marinette and he started at University. Their home was well situated between their respective schools, his being College de Paris and hers being École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.

Their home also happened to be spacious apartment his father had bought for them, calling it an "early wedding gift".

Marinette had aspirations to plant peonies in the flower boxes that hung from every window the second spring came. They lived above the ironically perfect La Cafe Noir, where they got coffee together every morning before class.

When they returned from class they would work on homework quietly in the same room, content with just being around each other. Almost every night Adrien would attempt to cook dinner, eventually either being bailed out by his fiancee, or if she was busy, sneaking down to one of the nearby restaurants and grabbing something, then pretending he made it all by himself. Marinette though it was endearing that he went to so much trouble to impress her, so she didn't tell him that she knew he couldn't cook. They would talk about their days over dinner, him making a pun at every chance and her chuckling at her silly kitty. While that was fun and good, their relationship really flowed at night.

They didn't go out when Marinette was swamped with designing or when Adrien had a big test coming up, but most nights they did. They called upon their kiwamis and snuck out through the skylight in Marinette's bedroom.

Most of the time they just ran. They swung and jumped from rooftop to alley to rooftop. Sometimes they would even go out of their normal old paris haunts and swing around the steel and glass skyscrapers that were key to the modern parisian business culture. They would play tag and race to the Eiffel Tower. They would "slip" off ledges just to make the other catch them. They would kiss while dangling from the Arc de Triomphe, just to amuse the tourists.

But every night had to end, so once they had had their fun, so long as there wasn't an akuma attack, they would drop back into Marinette's room, giddy and breathless. And every night while they were sitting, untransformed on her bed, trying to catch their breath, he would kiss her, but she always broke away. She would say "what would your father say!" or "Kissing before marriage! How scandalous!" He would laugh good naturedly but it hurt every time. He just wanted to know what he could do to make them more intimate, but that's not really something you ask.

Then they would watch an episode of whatever might have just come out on netflix and eat whatever deliciousness Marinette had stress baked that week before retiring to their separate rooms. She would fall asleep immediately, tired from school and from being Ladybug, while he would toss and turn and think about what he did wrong and how he could make the woman he lived with love him.

But for now, he smiled at her as she asked Louis how much longer they might be stuck touring this dreadfully boring location. When she bounced back over to where he stood, his smile became brighter.

"So, Louis said we could leave, He honestly didn't know why we stayed more than twenty minutes anyway. We could have left whenever, apparently," she said. He used one hand to capture hers while using the other to shoot a text a Gorilla to bring the car around. They walked in the direction that Adrien assumed was the exit, but after taking one too many turns, they were hopelessly lost in the beautiful venue.

"Are we lost?" Adrien asked, as if he wasn't the one who had gotten them in this mess. Marinette rolled her eyes and looked up at him. He still had on the grin that always seemed to plaster his face when she was around. In that moment, in that bizarrely secluded hall, with his hair not as neat as it was when he lived with his dad and his tailored black button up showing off his figure, he looked like the perfect, most kissable, combination of Chat Noir and Adrien Argeste that she had ever seen. He thought something similar, if not as eloquent about her.

So they met in the middle, lips crashing like waves that had never before met the shore. She was on her tiptoes and his head was bent low to meet hers. They both knew mentally that this was not really the time or the place for this, but in their souls they knew it was the moment. Her arms snaked around his neck and she felt like they had never been in a more perfect location. He took this as a sign to put his hands on her lower back, pinkies just barely touching the bare skin where her shirt had rode up.

He licked her bottom lip, begging for the kiss to deepen. Marinette parted her lips, her body no longer obeying her mind's commands. Her brain was screaming "don't be stupid! You don't want to be caught in such a compromising position! IN PUBLIC." Her mind was also saying something like "wow his lips are super soft and his hands are really warm and he seems to know what he is doing."  
Meanwhile, Adrien's mind seemed to be constantly second guessing every single move he made. "Are you sure that's where your hands go? Is it comfortable for her to be on her toes? Are you sure deepening the kiss was the right move?" It was maddening, not knowing what exactly what to do. Not having a formula for how to make out with the love of his life was stressful. Even though he had gone to three years of public school, Adrien didn't have end the initial basics of how to kiss as girl, something probably covered as 11 year olds in public school. Fourteen years of homeschooling had not prepared him to be engaged at 18.

When they broke apart, they were as breathless as if they had just come home from a patrol. Just in the nick of time too, as Louis and their tour guide were turning down the hall. Louis looked at them as if it were no surprise that they had gotten lost. So instead of saying anything, the wedding planner just beckoned for his teenaged clients to follow him.

Eventually they reached the exit, where Gorilla was waiting with the limo. They slid their goodbyes to Louis and slid into the car. It was clear to both of them that they moment was fleeting and was gone. They sat, on separate sides of the backseat, looking out different windows, in a not quite comfortable silence.


	9. The Kitchen

**Short chapter, but I packed it full of the good stuff! Enjoy!**

"Honey! I'm home!" Marinette called into the apartment. She shifted her weight so she could balance the three grocery bags she carried and shut the door with her foot. She heard Adrien call back from wherever she might be as she deposited the groceries on the counter. While she loaded the three full cheese wheels she had bought for Plagg into the fridge she heard Adrien plod into the room. She pretended she didn't hear him come in and just continued unloading groceries.

She continued, putting the greens

She looked up at the beautiful boy and leaned back onto him. He was in his pajamas, or pajama pants as it were and heat radiated off him, which was a nice change from the brisk February air outside.

"I missed you." He said into her hair. She reached up and ran her fingers through his damp hair, feeling a low purr rumble through his chest.

"Well it's not my fault you have gotten home after I have left on patrol these last couple of nights," She replied. He wrapped his arms tighter around her midsection.

"You could have waited for me," he replied. She ran her hands through his hair once again and caressed his cheek, coaxing out another deep, rumbling, purr. She would never tell him, especially not when he was shirtless, but she found his purring surprisingly hot. She turned around to face him, still tightly wrapped in his arms.

"And mess with your beauty rest? I couldn't. Bags under your eyes are not the statement you want to be making when walking the runway. They also aren't the statement you want to be making to your father," She said, a slightly teasing tone to her voice. Adrien was only in one show, his dad's men's line showcase, and that was over a week away, but Gabriel Agrest was having his models come in for fittings and running through the show almost every day up until the event. Marinette was lucky she even got to see her finance in a state other than comatose tonight.

"Then let's go out tonight. Run around, beat up some muggers, get crepes. I could really use the exercise," he suggested, chat-like smile on his face. She gave him a faux-exasperated sigh.

"I don't know, I'm really tired from saving Paris without you. I think I'm going to stay in tonight and-" He cut her off with a kiss. She moved the hand that had been on his cheek to his shoulder to give her an anchor, reaching up and snaking the other arm around his neck. He was practically sitting on the kitchen island, so she had to go up as high as she could on her toes to meet his mouth with the same pressure he was putting on hers.

He moved his hand lower, supporting her butt so she could wrap her legs around his bare torso. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue and she graciously parted her lips so he could enter. His tongue was exploring every uncharted corner of her mouth and she was doing her best to match his passion. But it was hard.

She wasn't this. This wasn't her. Making out with hot shirtless guys in kitchens wasn't something Marinette had ever thought about doing. Even when she had been crazy crushing on Adrien back in grade school, all her fantasies were them kissing chastely under the Eiffel Tower or, at raciest, making out fully clothed on an appropriate piece of furniture. She pulled away from him, untangling her legs from around him but keeping her arms around his neck.

He frowned and searched her eyes for an answer on why she kept doing this, why she kept moving closer and then pulling away. They had lived together for six months and they still slept in separate beds. He didn't even care what the reason was, he just needed to know that their was some reason. Some reason that didn't include her not loving him.

 **Wasn't that a very short emotional rollercoaster. With a short school week I will hopefully be able to have a longer, more resolving chapter by Christmas! I would like to thank AmyNChan and Centeris2 for reviewing on almost every chapter and as always, I can't write without feedback, so review review review!**


	10. The Talk

**So this is another kinda short chapter, but it is important and emotional and I didn't want to ruin the mood of it by adding more. Enjoy!**

"Marinette, we have to talk about this," Adrien said, leaning against her door. After she had broken off their kiss Marinette had put the chocolate ice cream in the freezer, folded up the grocery bags and stashed them away, before silently retreating to her room. Her fiance had been trying to get her to talk to him for the last twenty minutes. "We are getting married, for Christ's sake. We can't just not talk about our feelings," he tried.

No sound came from Marinette's room. The girl was right there, sitting with her back to the door, listening to every word he said. Every plead and suggestion. She didn't respond because she didn't know what she would say. That she had been head over heels for him for years but now that they were together it was nothing like she had imagined? That being with him made her feel like someone other than herself? That she didn't think he liked her for her, he liked her for Ladybug? Or worse, he was doing all of this out of duty to his father?

She couldn't do that. She wouldn't say that. It would ruin their relationship. That is, it would ruin what little relationship they had been able to build. Even just thinking about telling him how she really felt scared her so much silent tears ran down her face.

She kept repeating these thoughts to herself, even as Adrien's feet stopped blocking the light that was flooding into the room under the door. She didn't snap out of it until a masked figure dropped through her skylight and landed on her bed. As he approached her she quickly wiped the tear from her eyes and sat up straighter.

"Why are you crying princess?" He asked. She shook her head and looked away so he couldn't see the tears that were starting to build in her eyes again. She felt one of his arms slide behind her back while the other went under her legs. She momentarily protested but, she couldn't keep it up, it was too much work. She just sat their silent tears running down her face. She hated this. She want to be as strong as she was when she was Ladybug. He loves Ladybug, and while Marinette may wear the mask, she was no superhero without it. He tightened his arms around her and whispered.

"How can someone so loved be so sad?" He said. She cried harder. "I love you. I love you so much and I can't stand to have you crying in my arms over something I did. Tell me what I did wrong so I can never do it again." He said, his own eyes starting to tear. He just couldn't handle seeing her in pain, especially pain that he caused. It was eating him from the inside out. He released his transformation and Plagg left to go inspect the new cheese. Marinette was looking up at him in the dim light that flowed into her room from the windows.

"Do you love me? Really?" She asked him. He nodded.

"Of course I do. I've loved you since the first time we defeated an akuma together," he replied. She shook her head, climbing out of his arms to sit on the bed next to him.

"That wasn't me, that was Ladybug," she said, voice cracking as she looked down at her hands.

"Of course you are! You are everything everyone thinks Ladybug is and fifteen more things! You are the brave, dutiful, hero Chat Noir fell for and the passionate, talented girl that became Adrien Agreste's best friend and so much more. Is that really what was bothering you?" He said, looking over at his tear stained fiancee. She looked up at him. Her face was puffy and splotched with red but to him she was still the beautiful girl he had fallen in love with.

"That and it's just, nothing about our relationship was what I expected. I mean it was at first when we were still in school and we went out to dinner and had the occasional goodbye kiss. Now when we are together, I feel like a totally different person and it scares me," She said, her tears finally slowing to a stop. He wrapped her hands in his.

"I'm so sorry Marinette. I never meant to make you uncomfortable or make you change yourself for me. I don't want that," He consoled.

"It's not necessarily a bad different, it's just not who I used to be,"

"Change is terrifying, no matter what. I understand if you don't want our relationship to change, but we are getting married so we can't really avoid it," he explained. She nodded.

"I'm sorry for not wanting to talk to you earlier. I was just afraid it would..." she trailed off.

"Change things?" He suggested.

"Yes. But I don't think it's a bad change," She finished. He smiled and stood up, stretching and walking towards the door.

"Well, I'm glad. I'm going to bed, neither of us have class until ten, would you like to go out for breakfast or coffee?" He asked her, pausing in the doorway.

"What I would like is for you to sleep in here with me tonight, just in case I start thinking negative thoughts again in the night. I'll sleep better if you are right there," She suggested to him. He smiled in a way that was all Adrien, nothing suggestive, only sweetness. He stepped back into the room and begun to shut the door.

"You know I would do anything I can to make my princess feel as loved as I know she is,"

 **So, I think that went pretty well. I will probably have another, longer chapter up before the end of the week. Please tell me what you think in a review!**


	11. The Dressing Gown

**MERRY CHRISTMAS MY LITTLE LADYBUGS! If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have the merriest Christmas possible. If you don't I hope you have a wonderful day off from work or school. Think of this chapter as my cute little fluffy present for all of you! Enjoy!**

Adrien woke up alone in Marinette's bed. For some reason her bed seemed softer than his, and the way it smelled just like her was so inviting, he couldn't bare to get up. After just laying there for a minute, blissfully remembering the progress they had made last night, he heard the shower in her ensuite bathroom turn off. He heard he beautiful wonderful and spectacularly wonderful fiancee pad back to her room and he heard her door open before he turned to look at her.

She stood before him, her face the same shade of beet red as as the marabou trim on her dressing gown. This dressing gown, he noticed, was made of a very sheer wine colored material through which he could see her undergarments. It made him turn slightly red himself. He opened his mouth to make a flirtatious comment, but she put up a finger to stop him.

"Before you say anything, let me express that I had not expected you to still be here, and that I am absolutely mortified that you are seeing me practically naked. Now if, with knowing this, if you still want to make your remark, you may do so," She warned. She almost looked like she might cry out of embarrassment. It was worse even than when they first met and she couldn't even talk to him. So he just shook his head, said nothing, got out of bed, and left the room.

After he had showered and dressed in a dark blue button up over a black t-shirt that read "Crazy Cat Lad" in pink letters that Marinette had gotten him for his birthday, Adrien walked into his living room. Laying with her back on the floor was Marinette, now fully dressed, her butt against the back of the couch and her legs sticking straight up in the air. She did a backwards somersault and jumped up to her feet.

"Finally! I've been waiting for like twenty minutes and I'm hungry," She said as she kissed his cheek and dragged him towards the front door.

"Sorry dear, I didn't know you were waiting," He said kissing the hand that was pulling him towards the exit. They grabbed their bags and their shoes from where they sat in a pile by the door and left the apartment, Adrien engaging the alarm and locking the door as he left. They walked hand-in-hand down the hall, down the three flights of stairs, and out the door to their building. At 8:30 the sidewalk in front of their building, while not crowded, was still bustling with people.

They crossed the street, walking into a local cafe and sitting down. They were quickly saw by a waitress as the cafe was not very busy. Adrien decided to start of the conversation by talking about his favorite class, beginning astrophysics.

As he talked about his introductory astrophysics courses, she studied every detail on his face. The roundness of his eyes. The way that one could see flecks of vibrant emerald when his irises caught the light. The way that, no matter how sweet his smile, it always held a tinge of mischief.

Just everything about him seemed so beautiful and her perception of him seemed almost heightened. It was like an extra beam of divine light had hit him that morning.

A little after they had ordered, Adrien noticed Marinette's doe eyes and decided it was a good time to bring up when Marinette had been wearing that morning when he woke up.

"So, how long have you owned that ridiculously sexy garment I saw you it?" He asked, sipping his black coffee. She blushed.

"Well I didn't buy it. I made it for my lingerie class. It was an expensive piece to make and it turned out really nice so I decided I would keep it," he replied. She lifted her coffee that was 70% cream to her lips "just in case," she finished quietly. His attention was grabbed from the minutes she said lingerie class.

"How long have you been a class for designing underwear?" He asked, both eyebrows raised. Marinette just rolled her eyes.

"Since the beginning of the semester, like two weeks ago. That dressing gown was like the second thing we made, it was just to get a feel for the types of materials one uses when designing undergarments," she replied, trying to be nonchalant, all while staying slightly pink.

"So will you be keeping any of your other projects "just in case"?" He asked as their eggs and croissants were placed in front of them. She rolled her eyes, still blushing.

"In your dreams," She retorted.

"Only every night my lady." he said with a wink.

 **Once again, best holiday wishes for all of you! See you again (hopefully) before we ring in the new year!**


	12. The Cake

**Hello again everyone! Man does this story have some crazy time skips! This is another sort of fluffy chapter of Marinette and Adrien being a cute domestic couple. ENJOY!**

 _July, one year exactly since the engagement, exactly one month before the wedding_

"Princess," Marinette heard whispered in her ear. Her fiance's breath was warm and carried a faint smell of cinnamon toothpaste, which meant he was already up. She had thought she had felt a lack of heat beside her while she floated out of sleep. She swatted blindly at the air near her head to try and shoo him away.

"Give me another hour," She mumbled. She heard him sigh goodnaturedly.

"A whole hour? I don't think the chocolate croissant that I picked up for you is going to last that long," He said. She groaned but didn't move a muscle. He sighed again. "I guess," He pulled the blanket off her, soliciting another groan, "I'll just have to," He slid his arms under her small frame, "do this," lifted her up, causing her to let out a little yelp, "The hard way," She groaned again.

He carried her out of their bedroom and into the living room, setting her down gently on the couch and giving her forehead a small kiss. He walked away from her, picked up the bag from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and put two croissants on plates. He got out a knife, using it to cut the pastries, then using it to spread a light amount of better on the treats. He carried the plates over to where Marinette was sitting, now watching TV, and sat down beside her. They ate in peace and watched the news, when the reporter said that it was 9:27, Marinette jumped up and turned pointing at Adrien.

"Why didn't you tell me how late it was!" She yelled. His eyes were totally blank.

"I didn't think we had plans until 7:00?" He replied, hoping it was the correct answer. Marinette shook her head and yelled quietly as she ran back into their room, not bothering to even close the door. Adrien took this as an invitation to follow her in.

When he finally strolled in she was frantically searching through her over stuffed closet for something to wear. Eventually she settled on a Black, poppy printed dress sundress and black flats. SHe threw her outfit onto the bed and ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. When she saw him standing there she widened her eyes.

"Don't just stand there! Get my black demi-cup bra and a pair of panties from my dresser! We don't want to be late! She yelled around her toothbrush. Adrien, who still didn't know what was going on or what they were going to be late for, was only to happy to oblige. He walked over to her drawers and opened up the one where she kept her bras. He, a dumb boy, then realised he had no idea what "demi-cup" even meant. So he grabbed the first black one he saw, opened up her underwear drawer, picked out a random pair, and set them on top of the outfit. When she came out of the bathroom, hair and makeup done, she looked at what Adrien had picked and sighed.

"Honey, I know I shouldn't have expected as much from you as I did, but these are all wrong," She said, giving him an incredibly disappointed look. He frowned. Her giving him that look when he was so clueless would have looked to the outside observer like somebody kicking a helpless kitten. That's what it did to his heart.

He slumped out of the room while she changed. When she came out of the bedroom, hopping on one foot while pulling a shoe onto the other, she grabbed her fiance's hand and dragged him out the door. The stepped outside their building at the exact moment that Gorilla pulled up with the car.

Even though the car wasn't really theirs and they didn't take it to class or anywhere they went regularly, whenever they had wedding business to attend to Gabriel made sure that he sent the car to take them. However, even though he was footing the bill for the whole wedding, he hadn't shown up to a single portion of the planning. Marinette hadn't even seen him since she had gone into his private studio so he could get initial measurements for her wedding dress two months ago. They talked on the phone every now and again, and his assistant natalie was constantly updating her with pictures of her work-in-progress dress, but overall, Marinette was definitely starting to see that absentee father Adrien must have known growing up.

It only took them about twenty minutes before they arrived at Synies, the bakery that would be providing their wedding cake. While Marinette's father had insisted that he and her mother make the cake, Gabriel rationalized that they would be needed to help Marinette get ready for the ceremony and, since making the cake happens right before the big day, it would be best if they made Marinette their only obligation. The Dupain-Chengs eventually agreed. So it was at Synies that Marinette and Adrien exited the limo.

That's what Adrien had forgotten. Today was the cake tasting. How could he have forgotten about the only part of the wedding planning he had any actual say in. As they walked in a very enthusiastic woman greeted them.

"Mr. Agreste! We can not thank you enough for picking us for your wedding! Oh! And Miss Marinette! You look even more beautiful in person than you do in the tabloids!"The woman said. Marinette smiled awkwardly. She loved Adrien, but she really wasn't a fan of how high profile their relationship was. Adrien wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled at the woman.

"Please, Mr. Agreste is my father, call me Adrien." He told the woman, using his hand that wasn't around his fiancee to shake the woman's. The woman blushed.

"Well, Adrien, would you and your bride to be follow me to the back room for tasting and design planning?" The woman said, gesturing to the door that said "office". Adrien and Marinette walked in, taking a seat on the side of the desk where their were two chairs. The woman followed them in and took a seat across from them.

The desk was covered with all sorts of cake. Their were bare cake squares, small bowls of fillings, as well as constructed cake and filling combinations. Their had to be around fifty different bowls and plates crowded onto the desk for their tasting pleasure. The woman reached into a drawer and pulled out a clipboard and a box filled with dozens of tasting forks.

"So you guys can just grab a fork and start tasting, I want you to tell me exactly what you think about everything, but I don't you to feel overwhelmed, so take your time." Said the woman. Marinette looked closer at her name tag to see that her name was Angelique.

"Thank you Angelique," Marinette said tentatively. As she picked up a tasting fork she could feel the saleswoman's eyes on her. She cut off a piece of some chocolatey looking cake, dipped it in a fluffy, cream colored filling, and popped it in her mouth.

"Mmmmm! This is really good! What is it?" Marinette asked the woman. The woman flipped through pages on her clipboard before finding what she was looking for.

"That's coffee flavored cake with salted caramel mousse filling," The woman said with a smile, making a little check on her board. Marinette took her tasting fork and grabbed another bit of the cake, again dipping it in the filling and held it towards Adrien. Adrien ate the cake from his fiancee's fork and smiled.

"It tastes like a salted caramel latte!" He said, cake still in his mouth. Marinette laughed.

And so the spent the next four hours tasting every single cake and filling combination imaginable. Angelique made a note on her clipboard for every single opinion, facial expression, and incoherent sound the couple made. After tasting everything and whispering together so Angelique couldn't take anymore notes, they came to a decision.

"I think we will go with vanilla-white chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut filling," Marinette announced. Angelique clapped.

"I think that will be just perfect for you. Now we can move onto the hard part, design!" She said. Marinette and Adrien looked at each other. As much fun as eating fancy cake had been, it was already one in the afternoon and it was tiring eating and being a generally cute pair.

She went through a door different than the one they came in through, which presumably led to the kitchen, and was followed by two guys in their early twenties. The men cleared the table and they and Angelique left again. Adrien leaned over to Marinette as if to whisper in her ear, instead giving her a little kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Marinette asked him. He shrugged.

"Being perfect," She rolled her eyes as Angelique returned for the second half of their wedding preparation marathon.

 **So for any of you who are familiar with wedding preparation timelines, we are getting very close to the main event. I estimate another two or three chapters until the wedding and then two or three chapters of the actual event and then this story will be over! So we have 4-6 chapters left! I love all of you guys, see you next year, and thanks for reading!**


	13. The Ending

**I'm sorry guys, but I have lost all direction on this story. I didn't plan it out well enough, so I lost traction and I have completely fell off the wagon. I will be marking this story as complete, even though it isn't an never will be. I am sorry.**

 **However! Here is what would have happened!**

They would have been attacked by an akuma during the wedding. It would turn out to be Chloe, who was never able to reclaim her popularity after Marinette showed everyone how terrible she was in highschool. This high profile wedding was supposed to be hers. Then Adrien and Marinette would have finished the wedding and it would have ended with Adrien kissing his beautiful bride.


End file.
